Road trips from Melbourne

Drive through Victoria's most beautiful landscapes with these 1-10 day long trips starting from Melbourne.

Updated Apr 27, 2020

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Find yourself off the beaten track cruising through mountains and valleys or along the coast with our five handpicked Melbourne road trip itinerary recommendations. They're guaranteed to show you the top scenery in Victoria.

Keep reading to find activities plus hotel options for the ultimate quick and easy holiday.

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Recommended road trips from Melbourne by length

1 day
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10 days

One-day Black Spur itinerary

Itinerary overview

Distance: 200km, round trip
Highlights and attractions: Healesville Sanctuary Wildlife Park, Buxton Bridge, Yarra Valley
Landscape: Rainforest and mountain
Recommended vehicle: Medium car

Day	Itinerary
Day 1 Distance: 200km, round trip Approx. drive time: 3.5 hours	Melbourne to Black Spur and Marysville, return Start your day early in Melbourne with a quick drive to Healesville where you can make your first stop at the Healesville Sanctuary Wildlife Park. Take a scenic 40-minute trip on the Yarra Valley Railway for the chance to ride a heritage train. Continue driving along Maroondah Highway towards Marysville, stopping to take pictures of the world's tallest flowering trees, eucalyptus regnans. Stop for lunch in Buxton Bridge and dine in one of the local wineries. Once in Marysville take a break to stretch your legs and go bushwalking or check out the local flea market. Head home with the option to stop for more food along the Yarra Valley Wine Trail.

Day

Itinerary

Day 1

Distance: 200km, round trip

Approx. drive time: 3.5 hours

Melbourne to Black Spur and Marysville, return

Start your day early in Melbourne with a quick drive to Healesville where you can make your first stop at the Healesville Sanctuary Wildlife Park.
Take a scenic 40-minute trip on the Yarra Valley Railway for the chance to ride a heritage train.
Continue driving along Maroondah Highway towards Marysville, stopping to take pictures of the world's tallest flowering trees, eucalyptus regnans.
Stop for lunch in Buxton Bridge and dine in one of the local wineries.
Once in Marysville take a break to stretch your legs and go bushwalking or check out the local flea market.
Head home with the option to stop for more food along the Yarra Valley Wine Trail.

1 day Bunurong Coastal Drive itinerary

Itinerary overview

- Distance: 306km, round trip
- Highlights and attractions: Cape Paterson, Inverloch and Eagles' nest
- Landscape: Coastal
- Recommended vehicle type: Economy cars

Day	Itinerary
Day 1 Distance: 306 km, round trip Approx. drive time: 4 hours	Melbourne to Inverloch, return Make the drive from Melbourne to start off the route in Cape Paterson where you can stop to see the rock pools, spend time at the beach and go snorkelling. Continue along the short 14km drive to Inverloch where you can go surfing, visit the Eagles' nest and find fossils. Return to Melbourne.

Day

Itinerary

Day 1

Distance: 306 km, round trip

Approx. drive time: 4 hours

Melbourne to Inverloch, return

Make the drive from Melbourne to start off the route in Cape Paterson where you can stop to see the rock pools, spend time at the beach and go snorkelling.
Continue along the short 14km drive to Inverloch where you can go surfing, visit the Eagles' nest and find fossils.
Return to Melbourne.

Two-day Grand Ridge Road itinerary

Itinerary overview

- Distance: 555km/8 hours 10 minutes, round trip
- Highlights and attractions: Strzelecki Ranges, Mount Baw Baw, Tarra Bulga National Park
- Landscape: Mountains and forest
- Recommended vehicle type: Medium cars and 4WD

Day	Itinerary
Day 1 Distance: 256km Approx. drive time: 4 hours	Melbourne to Mount Baw Baw Start in Melbourne and drive to the beginning of the Grand Ridge Road, Seaview where you'll begin to see the Strzelecki Ranges. Continue to Hallston where you can grab a bite for lunch before moving on to Mount Baw Baw where you can go hiking, mountain biking and more. Spend the night at Mount Baw Baw.
Day 2 Distance: 299km Approx. drive time: 4 hours and 10 minutes	Mount Baw Baw to Melbourne Head to Tarra Bulga National Park and spend time bushing walking, discover waterfalls and have a picnic. Take the same route back for even more views of the scenery to Melbourne.

Day

Itinerary

Day 1

Distance: 256km

Approx. drive time: 4 hours

Melbourne to Mount Baw Baw

Start in Melbourne and drive to the beginning of the Grand Ridge Road, Seaview where you'll begin to see the Strzelecki Ranges.
Continue to Hallston where you can grab a bite for lunch before moving on to Mount Baw Baw where you can go hiking, mountain biking and more.
Spend the night at Mount Baw Baw.

Day 2

Distance: 299km

Approx. drive time: 4 hours and 10 minutes

Mount Baw Baw to Melbourne

Head to Tarra Bulga National Park and spend time bushing walking, discover waterfalls and have a picnic.
Take the same route back for even more views of the scenery to Melbourne.

Walhalla’s Star Hotel from Finder Hotels

Spend the evening in Mount Baw Baw.

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Four-day Great Alpine Road itinerary

Itinerary overview

- Distance: 1,060km/15 hours 12 minutes, round trip
- Highlights and attractions: Beechworth, Chiltern, Mount Buffalo National Park, The Horn, Mount Kosciuszko (view), Gippsland Lakes
- Landscape: Mountains, forests and lakes
- Recommended vehicle type: SUVs, 4WDs and campervans

Day	Itinerary
Day 1 Distance: 289km Approx. drive time: 3 hours and 11 minutes	Wangaratta to Beechworth Start your day early as the first drive from Melbourne is 251km along the M31 to Wangaratta. From Wangaratta make stops in Milawa or Rutherglen, both top foodie destinations for lunch. Continue on to Beechworth to spend the night but first see the 19th century town of Chiltern.
Day 2 Distance: 210km Approx. drive time: 4 hours	Beechworth to Dinner Plain Spend the morning exploring Beechworth's gold rush history or strolling and shopping the Victorian era streets. Drive through Ovens Valley to Bright Make a detour to Mount Buffalo National Park for hiking and nature, be sure to drive to The Horn for unbeatable panoramic views. Finish the day and the spend the night in Dinner Plain.
Day 3 Distance: 165 km Approx. drive time: 2 hours and 10 minutes	Dinner Plain to Metung Take the morning to hike or cross-country ski depending on the season. Head onwards to Omeo, a gold mining town and the ideal location to capture epic views of Mount Kosciuszko, Australia's tallest peak Stop for lunch in Swift's Creek and drive along Tambo River and through the countryside to Metung. Spend the afternoon exploring the 600-sq km of the Gippsland Lakes by foot, car or horseback. Base yourself in Metung for the night.
Day 4 Distance: 396km Approx. drive time: 5 hours and 50 minutes	Metung to Melbourne Take a bit more time to explore the Gippsland Lakes or opt to get on the road early back to Melbourne. The most direct route back is via the M1.

Beechworth On Bridge

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Ramada Resort Dinner Plain

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The Moorings at Metung

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10-day Great Ocean Road itinerary (Melbourne to Adelaide)

Itinerary overview

- Distance: 1,638km/23.5 hours, round trip
- Highlights and attractions: Cape Otway National Park, 12 Apostles, Grampians National Park and Kangaroo Island
- Landscape: Coast, forest, mountain and lake
- Recommended vehicle type: Medium-sized vehicles, SUVs and campervans

Day	Itinerary
Day 1 Distance: 142km Approx. drive time: 2 hours	Melbourne to Lorne Get going early with a 1.5 hour drive to Ballarat where you can spend half a day exploring Sovereign Hill, a living museum that recreates the town from the gold rush. For lunch head to Torquay, relax by the beach and perhaps try a surf lesson. Hit the road once more to Lorne for dinner and to spend the night.
Day 2 Distance: 103km Approx. drive time: 2 hours	Lorne to Apollo Bay Make a stop in Kennett River where you can spot birds and koalas hanging out in the trees. Next head to Cape Otway National Park where you can climb through the trees and visit the Cape Otway Lighthouse. Lastly make your way back to the seaside town of Apollo Bay to spend the afternoon kayaking in the ocean and enjoying the nightlife. Spend the night in Apollo Bay.
Day 3 Distance: 187km Approx. drive time: 2 hours, 40 minutes	Apollo Bay to Port Fairy Hit the road early to avoid heavy crowds at the top attractions like the Twelve Apostles, London Bridge, The Grotto and Loch Ard Gorge or opt to see the sites from above. Grab lunch in Port Campbell. At Logan's Beach between May and October you can see southern right whales. Take a quick stop in Warrnambool to visit Flagstaff Hill, a 19th-century historical village. Spend the night in Port Fairy.
Day 4-5 Distance: 176km Approx. drive time: 2.5 hours (varies depending on which attractions visited)	Port Fairy to Grampians National Park Make you way to Halls Gap where you can base yourself for 2 nights. Visit attractions in the park such as The Pinnacle, MacKenzie Falls, The Balconies, Boroka Lookout to see Indigenous art.
Day 6 Distance: 203km Approx. drive time: 2 hours 50 minutes	Grampians National Park to Mount Gambier Start your time in South Australia by visiting sites such as Blue Lake, Umpherston Sinkhole and Naracoorte Caves National Park (extra 1-hour drive). Snorkelling and diving are options here too. Spend the night in Mount Gambier.
Day 7 Distance: 454km Approx. drive time: 5 hours	Mount Gambier to Victor Harbor Take an easy morning relaxing before heading off to Robe, a resort town located on the seaside where you can grab lunch, stop to walk along the water, shop at boutiques or golf. Continue onwards to Victor Harbor and spend the night.
Day 8-9 Distance: 163km Approx. drive time: 3 hours	Victor Harbor to Kangaroo Island Head to Cape Jervis to catch the ferry to Kangaroo Island. Spend the rest of the day and the next exploring the island with stops at sites such as Flinders Chase National Park, the Remarkable Rocks, Seal Bay, beaches, wildlife parks, quad biking and enjoy the food. Spend 2 nights on the island.
Day 10 Distance: 210km Approx. drive time: 3 hours, 40 minutes	Kangaroo Island to Adelaide Once back on the mainland make one final stop in McLaren Vale where you can opt to have lunch, try some wines or choose to stay longer and enjoy the McLaren Good and Wine Trail. A 40-minute drive will deliver you to Adelaide.

Lorne: Mantra Lorne

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Apollo Bay: Seafarers Getaway

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Grampians National Park: The Grampians Motel and The Views Bar & Restaurant

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Mount Gambier: Best Western Southgate Motel

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Victor Harbor: Anchorage Seafront Hotel

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Kangaroo Island: Aurora Ozone Hotel

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Need a car? Book a ride now

Destination overview

Weather: Melbourne boasts four seasons, but it's renowned for dramatic weather changes during the day, so pack for all weather types.
Best time to visit: The off-season months between March and March are often blessed with dry and cool weather.
Recommended car type: Melbourne's tourist driving routes are generally on paved, sealed roads suitable for economy or standard-sized vehicles and above.

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Stephanie Yip

Stephanie Yip is the travel editor at Finder and has been writing about travel and lifestyle for over a decade. She has written for Travel Weekly, Escape, Showpo, The Nibbler and Hostelworld. She was also the editor of kids magazine DMAG. Stephanie has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Technology Sydney and has visited 55 countries (and counting).

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Road trips from Melbourne

Drive through Victoria's most beautiful landscapes with these 1-10 day long trips starting from Melbourne.

Search for your ride from Melbourne

Recommended road trips from Melbourne by length

One-day Black Spur itinerary

Itinerary overview

1 day Bunurong Coastal Drive itinerary

Itinerary overview

Two-day Grand Ridge Road itinerary

Itinerary overview

Walhalla’s Star Hotel from Finder Hotels

Four-day Great Alpine Road itinerary

Itinerary overview

Beechworth On Bridge

Ramada Resort Dinner Plain

The Moorings at Metung

10-day Great Ocean Road itinerary (Melbourne to Adelaide)

Itinerary overview

Lorne: Mantra Lorne

Apollo Bay: Seafarers Getaway

Grampians National Park: The Grampians Motel and The Views Bar & Restaurant

Mount Gambier: Best Western Southgate Motel

Victor Harbor: Anchorage Seafront Hotel

Kangaroo Island: Aurora Ozone Hotel

Destination overview

Car hire deals in Melbourne

Popular Car Hire coupon codes

Stephanie Yip

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